


The Fall

by Catherine256



Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Claire and Neil’s daughter, Comforting Each Other, Established Relationship, F/M, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:02:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24323995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catherine256/pseuds/Catherine256
Summary: Claire closed her eyes tightly in fear, clutching Neil’s crumpled shirt. Now it was his time to calm her down and hold her firmly the way she did.
Relationships: Claire Browne/Neil Melendez
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	The Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Well, it’s my third work, oh my god. I hope, you’ll like it!  
> And please, be careful, it’s angst.  
> And thanks for all your feedback, it really helps.  
> Please, leave a comment below, I would be glad to know what you think about the work:)

It’s another long day in the ER. And a little boring too, but full of different cases. 

“Boring cases,” Shaun continued to state and other surgeons just rolled their eyes. And agreed with him mentally.

Dislocated knee after too much pressure on it during gym time, head injury due to fall from the ladder, fractured wrist, stomach injury due to swallowed Lego’s part, septic shock due to improper suture care, fluid in the lungs. And it’s not the full list of it.

They flowed from one patient to another during this day. Shaun went in the OR with a guy who has his leg fractured due to a car crash and has bone fragments that damaged arteries and provoked bleeding.

Park and Claire changed gloves once again on their way to input, noticing an ambulance pulled up.

“It’s mine,” smiling Park said, thinking maybe it’s an interesting case.

“Ugh, don’t you dare, it’s mine,” Claire grinned, trying to overtake him to the input.

And then her grin’s faded.

“Neil?” Claire’s heart skipped a beat and noticed his glass eyes, with tears that will fall down soon, watching nowhere. She rushed to the stretcher and grasped.

Her little girl was on it.

“Elsie... It’s my baby...” she can only say, gripping the rail of the stretcher. Her hands shaken. “Neil...” She said again, grabbing his arm and silently asking him what happened.

“Girl, 5, found on the playground, unconscious due to fall. Her dad’s in shock, can’t talk to us, maybe you can know more from him,” ambulance woman stated, helping to bring the stretcher inside.

Little girl was unconscious. Cervical collar was on her neck. Skin tone was too light. Claire grabbed the rail and rolled the stretcher inside on autopilot after Park said they needed to examine her urgently. He took the lead. Now Claire was no longer a surgeon. She was a frantic mother. And Neil’s a semiconscious father.

“I-I’m so... sorry, Cla-Claire, I’m so s-sorry,” he stuttered. “I’m so sorry...” It was the first thing Neil said after they arrived.

He repeated it over and over and over again like a mantra. He didn’t know what else to say because he was shocked with their little baby girl, now laying on an examined bed unconscious and seeing the way Claire’s look right now he can’t stand the pain in her eyes that mirrored his own.

“Melendez, what happened?” Park asked persistently.

Neil just stared at him and saw almost blurred outlines of a man, not understanding what’s happening. He was badly shocked and can’t answer the question right away.

Park paged Lim immediately. MRI showed vertebral displacement and internal bleeding. They really need to hurry, but Lim still wasn’t here and Alex needs another surgeon. And not Claire, who just stood there with her hands on Neil’s arm and her gaze on her injured daughter now with an oxygen mask on her face.

Park and nurse Petringa quickly checked other vitals and all indicators before prepping the girl for upcoming surgery. He saw worried Lim who fast came to them trying to keep emotions in check, even though Neil and Claire looked scared and detached.

“I’m sorry...” they heard Neil’s trembling voice.

“Neil, hey-hey, look at me. I need you to concentrate and tell us what happened,” Lim demanded, catching the lost look of a man.

Claire sighed sharply and made Neil look at her. They need details to bring out all possible risks and not found injuries and start surgery asap. Claire needs to be professional as much as emotional now.

“Neil, please...” She begged.

“She fell on her back from the slide... I just turned away for a second to put my coffee on the bench and help her, but she managed to climb up herself and apparently stumbled... I did not have time to catch her... I couldn’t catch her... And then she just lay there on the ground. I called 911 immediately.” He gripped Claire’s hand, trying to process everything.

“That’s enough to us,” Lim said. “We need prepped OR-4, now.”

“Ok,” nurses Petringa and Villanueva rushed to the hallway.

“Her hand fractured. And she had hematoma on her head,” Park told them, checking all her backside.

“We need to hurry,” Lim raised the railing and noticed Claire gripped it trying to go to the OR. “Claire, you know the drill. You’re not a Dr. Browne now,” she ordered, seeing Claire’s scared look. “It’s gonna be ok. Park, let’s go,” she said quickly and they hurried into the operating room.

Claire exhaled sharply and looked at her husband. She never saw Neil that frightened.

His tearful eyes still watched the way where Lim and Park went with Elsie. Their baby girl. He failed. He ruined everything. He couldn’t protect his family. And now they can lose their baby.

“Neil, please, look at me... Look at me, love.”

“We-we need t-to go,” he felt a little less numb as he pulled Claire with him.

***

“Daddy, look what I’ve got,” Elsie handed him the drawing of their family and caused the rapturous smile of her dad.

“Oh, mi amorcita, it’s amazing.”

Neil took his sweet daughter in his hands still smiling proudly and kissed the crown of her head like he usually does for both of his lovely girls – Claire and Elsie.

“Ready for a walk?” He asked fondly, stroking her curly black hair fondly.

“Yes!” She said immediately and they headed outside.

It was his rare day off, so he took Elsie from school himself, while Claire was at the hospital until midnight. Their nanny also had a free day today ‘cause she work only when both Claire and Neil are at work and no one can take care of Elsie. They’re still worried they have to leave their daughter with a nanny. But they just don’t have a choice because of their hard shifts. And they’re still trying to work it out. But now their shifts sometimes allow at least one of them to stay with Elsie, like three or even four times a week. It’s not enough, though. But it’s the best they can have right now.

So, these rare days when Neil has a chance to be with his baby girl all day is a real blessing for him.

“Can we take something sweet from that cafe with desserts?” Elsie gently grabbed his hand, walking down the street and smiling to him appealingly as he carried her violet small backpack on his shoulder.

“Of course, baby,” he already knew that he would take them a two piece of chocolate cake, tea for her and coffee for him like they always do on their special resting days.

***

“It’s my fault,” he sat in front of glass in the gallery, covering his reddened puffy eyes with his hands.

He can’t stand seeing their baby opened on the operating table.

Claire took his hands gently and leaned to him, holding him tightly and trying to calm her trembling down. She cried silently. Her sobs were heard down below in the OR, but surgeons politely didn’t pay attention to it. And that doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard to hear it.

“It’s not your fault, Neil. Please, talk to me... I’m so scared,” he finally hugged her tightly, hiding his face in the crook of her neck. Every time he closes his eyes he can see the fall of their girl and he wants to beat himself up as hard as he can.

“Claire...” he was breathing heavily, holding back new tears from streaming down his cheeks and touching the head of a woman, the most beloved woman, that was so close to him right now not just physically, but emotionally, too. “I am sorry, mi amor...”

“You're still in shock,” she said anxiously. “I’m here, Neil. I’m here. It’s... It’s gonna be fine,” she exhaled hard.

Without releasing her shattered husband, are cleared her throat and loudly asked for an update. She’s shivering. Her eyes locked on the wall behind Neil’s back. It’s been four hours already.

“Vertebrae are fixed. Internal bleeding is stopped. Working on head hematoma. No complications,” they heard the collected voice of Lim.

Park glanced up at the gallery’s glass and saw they’re holding each other tightly. He could feel so much how much they’re scared, trying to sooth themselves down in each other’s arms. He prayed that everything went well, carefully calculating his every move. Lim and Park quickly exchanged glances and Audrey nodded reassuringly to him. It’s simple move gave him some confidence.

***

Neil sat on the bench following every movement of Elsie with his eyes, enjoying his hot coffee, as a girl running around with some other girls her age and laughing. He couldn’t help but smile as he saw how happy his lovely baby was.

One of the girls ran up steps to the top of the slide and Elsie almost rushed after her.

“Hey, hey, wait for me, I help you,” he gently said to smiling Elsie.

When he was halfway to her he decided to leave the coffee cup on the bench. So, he turned back quickly and was about to rush to his daughter when he heard her cry and then saw her falling. It was the beginning of the end.

***

“I screwed up. I never wanted to burden you like that... I never... Never... And I am sorry,” he spoke incoherently.

“What burden? Neil, stop beating yourself. Please, I love you... They do everything right for her. Elsie’s gonna be ok,” she pressed her forehead to his, running a hand up and down his back smoothly.

“It was so hard...” she looked in his eyes, still don’t understanding what he was talking about. “My sister... she fell from the tree and... I love her so much, but it’s hard... I never wanted this to happen again... with anyone. I’m so scared, Claire, and I am so sorry I did this to our baby... and to you... and to us...” he looked right into her eyes as she couldn’t find a word, just caressing his face.

He’s so broken and she hates seeing him like that. And he couldn’t stop hating himself for not being able to be a good father, although he dreamed of becoming one his entire life.

“Neil, please, look at me,” Claire murmured. “It’s not happening, it’s gonna be fine,” she took his face in her hands. “You’re the most incredible, loving, caring dad I know, and it’s not your fault,” she told him like she read his mind. “Don’t look down, look at me,” she ordered knowing now, that every time he glanced down at the operating table and saw their girl there it triggers him. His heart started beating faster and he couldn’t breathe normally, shaking and sweating right away. ”It’s ok, it’s ok... Come on, breathe with me. In...” she inhales deeply. “...and out,” she exhales. He does it all with her, looking into her tragically worried eyes that fixed on his. “In and out,” she said softly, touching his face and his arms with light strokes.

Neil calmed with time passed hearing the most soothing voice, voice of his wife. Claire needed to control herself to help him and so she did. And he was so grateful that she’s with him and still loves him and cares about him so much.

They heard monitors beeping like crazy and their breath became abrupt. Surgeons’ voices were worried doing everything they could. Claire closed her eyes tightly in fear, clutching Neil’s crumpled shirt.

Now it was his time to calm her down and hold her firmly the way she did.

***

They remained silent until the end. It’s been the longest hours in their life. And they looked only into each other’s eyes, shuddering to every sound that came from down below and praying without words.

And then it’s over. They rushed to the ICU, hand in hand.

They both hold a little hand of their baby, their lovely Elsie, who now looked a bit better then when she arrived in the ER.

“We need to monitor her vitals and there’s a small chance of bradycardia. But I’m sure, she’s gonna be absolutely fine. We expect a full recovery,” Lim explained to the worried couple and smiled reassuringly.

“Thank you, Dr. Lim,“ Claire exhaled with relief.

“Daddy...” they heard a small whimper from the girl, who became conscious after all this hours. And, God, they’re so glad she’s alright.

“Yes, mi amorcita, I’m right here. And your mommy, too,” Elsie’s eyes gazed everywhere before she found her parents beside her. “We’re in the hospital, baby. Please, don’t move,” Neil gently pushed her shoulder, so she leaned back to her bed.

“Mommy, it hurts,” she said, closing her eyes for a moment due to pain that pierced her body.

“It’ll pass soon, my love,” Claire kissed lovingly on the forehead of her little girl and then the cheeks. “Can we get her more meds?” She asked doctors, who stood in front of them.

“Only a little bit,” Lim warmly looked at the kid, a small copy of Neil and Claire, and increased the dose of pain meds.

Lim and Park exchanged their glances again.

“I think you both need to see a therapist. As soon as possible if I be clear,” Alex suggested studying their expressions. “It’ll be helpful,” he shrugged and bowed his head a little. 

“Especially for you, Neil,” Lim specified. “I hope all of you will be fine after... everything. But you need to consult with a specialist and rest for a week. It’s an order,” she clarified and patted Neil’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I think we need it, really,” Neil’s voice now sounded less scared and more like his. And Claire closed her eyes for a second and leaned to him. She was glad that both of the persons she loves the most are gonna be fine after all.

“I love you,” he whispered to her, wrapping one arm around her and squeezing Elsie’s hand lightly with another.

“Love you, too,” she kissed his lips gently and then looked at Elsie again.

They both leaned down to their girl and kissed her cheeks, seeing her little smile.


End file.
